Places in West Java

Cimaja About 100km south of Bogor, Cimaja is an attractive, low-key surf resort with a good choice of accommodation and excellent waves on tap. There’s a nice relaxed vibe to the place, and if you’ve been suffering in Java’s teeming cities, the slow pace of life and oceanic air makes[…]

Cibodas Southwest of Bogor the highway steadily climbs in elevation, winding through a sprawling hill resort known as the Puncak that’s popular with weekending Jakartans. This traffic-choked road winds up to 1490m before descending to Cibodas, famous for its stunning gardens, the Kebun Raya Cibodas. Spread over the steep lower[…]

Banten On the coast due north of Serang, the fishing town of Banten was once a great maritime capital, where the Dutch and English first landed in Java to secure trade and struggle for economic supremacy. Banten reached its peak during the reign of Sultan Agung (1651–83), and in 1680[…]

Labuan The dreary little port of Labuan is merely a jumping-off point for Carita or for Ujung Kulon National Park, but it is home to the helpful Labuan PHKA office, located 2km north of town towards Carita (look out for the rhino statue). Frequent buses depart from Kalideres bus terminal[…]

Garut & Cipanas Sixty-three kilometres southeast of Bandung, Garut is a once-lovely spa town that’s now become featureless sprawl and leatherware centre. But 6km north of here the pretty village of Cipanas makes a tranquil base for a day or two exploring some stunning volcanic scenery and soaking away any[…]

Gede Pangrango National Park The Cibodas gardens are right next to the main entrance to Gede Pangrango National Park, the highlight of which is the climb to the 2958m peak of the volcanically active Gunung Gede. From the top of Gede on a clear day you can see Jakarta and[…]

Batu Karas The idyllic fishing village and surfing hot spot of Batu Karas, 32km west of Pangandaran, is one of the most enjoyable places to kick back in Java. It’s as pretty as a picture – a tiny one-lane settlement, with two beaches that are separated by a wooded promontory.[…]

Ujung Kulon National Park On the remote southwestern tip of Java, this Unesco World Heritage–listed national park has remained an outpost of prime rainforest and untouched wilderness, virgin beaches and healthy coral reefs. Few people visit the park (which was Indonesia’s first national park), but it is one of the[…]

Carita Carita is a spread-out, laidback beach resort with a slimline sandy beach and good swimming. Most hotels are aging resort-style enclaves geared at weekending Jakartan families, so prices are quite steep but there are few places aimed at budget travellers. It’s a good place to set up a tour[…]

Cianjur East of Cibobas it’s 19km to Cianjur, a market town that’s famed throughout Java for the quality of its rice; indeed the town is enveloped by shimmering green paddy fields. Cianjur has a few sights of interest in the surrounding district, but most people are here to mix with[…]